Seven Birthdays
by The Wandering Swordsman
Summary: Happy Birthday Zoro! AU series. Spin-Offs from my stories: one a request and the rest are of my top six. The stories goes as follows: "Love Geometric Shapes," "Dance with Me My Marionette," "Will You Hug Me?," "The One and Only," "Deception," "Life Can Be Rewritten," and "Heart." Various pairings and genre. All rated T except one which is mentioned.
1. Love Geometric Shapes

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece.**

**Dedicated to ZethRoronoa13 and it is thanks to ZethRoronoa13 that I thought of these spin-off birthday stories.  
**

**Love Geometric Shapes  
**_Gift Surprise_**  
**

Sanji bent down to take a better look. He put his hand on the glass case to imagine what it would look like on someone else's neck. That someone was Roronoa Zoro, his childhood friend and crush. He wanted to say 'boy friend' but his enemies prevented him from proclaiming Zoro as his.

This time, for sure, he was going to win all the other suitors by buying the best birthday gift for Zoro. Next week was Zoro's birthday, and he was one step behind everyone else because he met Zoro last. The others, Ace, Luffy, and Shanks, befriended and were attempting to win Zoro's heart in the same way. Sanji wasn't letting them do that.

The cook pointed to the silver necklace between the jeweled bracelet and rings.

"May I buy this one?"

"Oh yes...it's thirty-thousand Beli."

Thirty-thousand Beli. That was almost all of his saved allowance. He swallowed all of the things he wanted to buy down his throat and gave a firm nod. The clerk, oblivious to the blond's thoughts of forsaking his dream of buying a new kitchen pot, unlocked the glass case and pulled out the bracelet.

Examining it up close, the necklace shimmered like a gentle light. It had tiny gemstones dangling down its elegant chains. He picked the emerald one because it was Zoro's favorite color. Sanji imagined and smiled because it looked nice on him.

"Would you like to put in a box?"

"Uh, yes please."

The lady smiled and pulled out a sleek, velvet box. Sanji always wondered why the outside was always made of velvet, but he didn't ask. She carefully placed the bracelet in so that it made a slender oval with the gem standing out. An exchange of item and cash, covering the box with a fancy wrapping foil, and Sanji was out of the door. He hugged the present against his chest before putting it away. He hoped that Zoro would like it.

-.-.-

School started and he was met with the friendliest and most liked teacher. Sanji used to like and revere him but later found out he was one of his love rivals. Shanks, just Shanks, greeted him with a happy air.

"Hey, good morning Sanji!"

"Good morning to you too." Sanji stuffed his hands in his pockets, "You look strangely happy today."

Shanks grinned, "Why, it's almost Zoro's birthday. Did you forget?"

"Of course I didn't forget! I already bought a present." Sanji then pulled up a smirk, "And I think it's better than what you bought."

"Hey, how do you know I already bought something?"

"Well, you wouldn't be smiling with empty pockets."

"Good observation." Shanks sidled up and nudged him in the shoulder, "So, what did you get him? I'll tell you what I bought if you tell me yours first."

"Nah. You'll know when he opens it up."

"Ah. Keeping a secret." Shanks shrugged, "Fine with me. I like surprises anyways." The teacher, nonchalant as always, headed to his class before the school bell rang. Sanji headed but walked slower steps. Shanks was, after all, his homeroom teacher; he rarely checked students off from being late to class.

-.-.-

Zoro's birthday was a week ahead, and Sanji was anticipating it. That was all he thought in his head. Of course, along with the necklace he was planning to make a feast. That would probably gain good points over the rest of the guys. Speaking of other guys, along with Shanks, Sanji had to battle with the D. Brothers. Luffy was the youngest suitor and was like a kitten to Zoro. Ace, who worked as a firefighter, always had a sneaky hand: stealing a kiss from Zoro or giving him an unexpected squeeze. Sanji wondered what the two were going to do. Maybe Luffy was going to buy him something that was close to his age range, like video games or action figures. Or maybe the kid was going to do some magic show with his rubbery powers.

The cook was more worried about Ace. Ace already had a job, so he could buy anything if he saved his money. He and Ace always had a heated battle while Shanks and Luffy stood by watching and smiling.

Just a few more days, and the judgment day would come. Sanji counted down the days of in his head as he headed to town to buy some groceries. He was turning toward a busy street when he spotted a familiar freckled faced man walking out from a jewelry store. That grabbed his attention right away, and he ran back a crosswalk to get to the jewelry store.

"Ace!"

The man turned and Sanji met with a handsome grinning face.

"Yo Sanji. What's up?"

"Nothing, just stocking up for Zoro's birthday dinner."

"Oh yeah! Love what you make kid."

"T-Thanks." Sanji hated when Ace called him kid because he felt so inferior, "Uh...what did you buy?"

"This?" Ace showed Sanji the box, "Zoro's birthday present."

Sanji glanced back at the store, and he a sinking dread came over him. He bought the necklace at this store too. He recalled the many other fine watches and rings that were too much for his high school student wallet.

"Uh...what did you get him?"

"Hm?" Ace frowned, "Do you want to see?"

"Sure."

"No way."

"What?"

Ace smirked, "If you see what I got, you're going to buy something greater. I'm not letting you do that."

"That's not fair."

"Hey, I heard you did that to the old man, so I'm just doing him a favor."

"Did he show you what he got?"

"Nah, I wanted to keep it a secret too." Ace stuffed the box in a plastic bag to blend in with the vegetables and fruits, "See you at Zoro's birthday."

"See you." As Sanji watched Ace leave, he felt nervous. He quickly bought the meats, the vegetables, and wine for Shanks, and then went home. After he stuffed all of the necessary foods in the refrigerator to take it out easily, he went to his room to look at the necklace. It was still there, lying quietly in the box. Sanji stared at it and smiled a confident smile. If Ace was going to win Zoro's heart by buying something fancy, then he would beat him by making fine dishes that only exclusive members ate.

-.-.-

The day arrived, and Sanji came to Zoro's home early. His father dropped him off because the cook needed to bring a lot of food for the party. Zoro welcomed him with a smile.

"Happy birthday Zoro." Sanji said. He wanted to say it with an upbeat manner, but at the sight of Zoro made him blush and stammer.

"Thanks." Zoro replied with a same bashful manner, "Come on in."

Zoro helped Sanji bring in the ingredients even though Sanji told him not to. It was his birthday, and Sanji wanted Zoro to do nothing but enjoy the day. The cook felt like he got an ace shot when he realized he was the first one there. That fueled his heart to high power, and immediately started cooking.

"Do you want help?" Zoro asked as he followed Sanji around.

"No, it's fine. You can do whatever you want...sleep, read, or play with Chopper."

Zoro brushed a hand through his hair, "But I feel bad."

"Ah, don't. It's your birthday. And, I bet you will only have this time to relax because the others are coming."

"You're right." Zoro smiled and hugged Sanji, "If you need me, I'll be in the living room."

Sanji's heart fluttered and the warmth remained after Zoro pulled away. Once Zoro was gone, he returned to his sober self and arduously cut, sliced, marinated, cooked, boiled, fried, roasted the ingredients.

It was about three o'clock when Sanji started making the birthday cake when the other guests arrived. Zoro welcomed them just as warmly. Shanks and Ace peered into the kitchen and awed at Sanji's work. Luffy barged inside and was about to take a taste of the marinated meat, but Ace swapped his hand and dragged him out. They asked for help, but Sanji declined. He wanted the whole cooking side to be his job for tonight.

-.-.-

It was as if it was Luffy's birthday because the kid's eyes glittered with tears at the sight of the feast. Ace had to pull his brother away because he wouldn't stop drooling. Zoro sat at the end of one side and the rest of the men crowded around him. Once the birthday boy got his utensils, everyone started eating.

"Wow! This is good!"

"I've never ate something like this before."

"You can be a great cook someday..." Shanks mused.

"Thanks...I'm aiming for that."

"I think you'll succeed." Zoro smiled while most of his words were drowned by his chewing. Sanji grinned and wiggled in his seat.

Thanks to Luffy's appetite, the dish Sanji worked for nearly five hours disappeared within an hour. The kid appreciated it the most, so Sanji was glad. The birthday cake arrived and everyone sang 'Happy Birthday' in different tones. When the candles were blown and the cake was cut into pieces, the main event began.

"Do you want to open presents before or after the cake?"

"After!" Luffy answered for Zoro. Ace slapped his hand over Luffy's mouth.

"Don't listen to him Zoro."

"O-Okay. Uh...I kind of want to open present right now." Zoro could sense there was a heated competition at the table. If he delayed it too soon, someone was going to explode from impatience.

"So who's first-"

"Me!" Everyone yelled at the same time, but Zoro caught the fastest. This was typical in Zoro's home: the fastest caller won.

"Luffy." Zoro smiled holding out his hand, "I heard you first."

"Yes!"

"Aw man." Shanks, Ace, and Sanji leaned back in their seats disheartened. Soon, they sprang up from their seats when Luffy handed Zoro a velvet box. Their hearts leaped into their throat, wondering how Luffy bought jewelry.

"Luffy, where did you get the money to buy that?"

"Huh?" Lufffy glanced at the box, "I save my money too Ace."

They hoped that it was just the box that was fancy and not inside.

Zoro was startled to receive a fancy box, so he hesitated a bit. He glanced awkwardly at Luffy who grinned bashfully, and slowly opened the case.

Shanks, Ace, and Sanji stared wide eyed at the accessory. Zoro was surprised the second time at the prettiness of the necklace. The slender silver chain held a gorgeous glimmering emerald.

Zoro awed the necklace, "It's beautiful."

Luffy smiled, "I'm glad you like it!"

"Hey..."

"Wait..."

"Hold on."

"Hm?" Luffy and Zoro asked. The three rummaged through their pockets and pulled out their gifts. They pulled off the wrapper and opened the box for Zoro to see. The green haired man was surprised one last time when he saw the same necklace in each of the other man's hand.

"Oh...wow." Zoro blinked, lost at words. The group fell into a brief silence staring at the four boxes containing the silver chained necklace. They imagined what the jewelry owner thought as this necklace was sold off four times in a row this month. Then, the silence was broken by Zoro's mirthful laughter.

"Aw, man!" Zoro stood up to hug everyone, "I love you guys!" The four blinked at one other and then broke into laughter also. Because of their stubbornness all picked what they knew Zoro would like. It was silly, and probably a waste of money but they learned something important. Even if they were enemies at love, they sometimes needed to cooperate, so the same mistake wouldn't happen again.

Zoro kept all four and wore them rotationally, so it would be equal. Unfortunately, the four couldn't tell the difference.

**The End**


	2. Dance with Me, My Marionette

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece. **

**Dance with Me my Marionette  
**_Creating Life_**  
**

**This is after Doflamingo moved away from the city and bought a cottage.  
**

Doflamingo woke up to the sound of birds chirping. He opened the windows, and it scared the birds off and into the sky. He looked ahead, admiring the glorious view of the countryside. Gentle, sloping hills with luscious green fields spread across the wide landscape. Far down the hill he could see the village with specks of wagons moving about. The view was calming and breathtaking; much better than the crowded buildings from where he used to live.

He turned to look at his husband who was still sleeping. His lover's arm rested on his bare chest, so he slipped his hands through the other's fingers. He playfully pushed the wedding ring around the slender finger and watched the other take in quiet breaths. His chest rose up and down, but the man never took in oxygen. He just pretended, but Doflamingo liked the lover's effort to be as close to human as possible.

Yes, his husband wasn't a human; he was a puppet.

Doflamingo leaned down to kiss his lover when the light of the sun flashed something on the table. It reflected and hit Doflamingo's eyes. He was mildly irritated, but his focus was directed to the unmade puppet on the table.

The puppet seemed to call to him.

'Master master.' The puppet called though silent tongue, 'I know a secret!'

What is the secret, the puppeteer asked, his fingers now threading through his husband's soft, human-like, green hair. Sly little puppet; the creature had not spoken whilst he was making, so he assumed it was not ready to talk or see yet. The child must have waited until they settled in bed and watched with sneaky eyes as he and his puppet made love.

'The queen hath told me: today is Dear Zoro's birthday!'

Doflamingo turned to his lover named Zoro. Today was Zoro's birthday? A smile formed on his face and spread wide like an eagle getting ready to fly. How silly he was! Why of course everyone had a birthday! He celebrated each and every one of his puppets' birthdays. Zoro should not be an exception.

He sat up and kissed his beautiful princess. As if it was plucked out from a fairy tale, Zoro's eye slowly opened and stared dreamily up at the puppeteer. The other remained closed because Doflamingo had sewn it up. Zoro slowly rose and hugged Doflamingo. He rubbed his face, his bare chest into Doflamingo's. The puppeteer had always been amazed at Zoro's realistic body. He was just like a human being, except he had nothing of the nastiness of humans Doflamingo most loathed.

"Zoro, my love," Doflamingo's lips gently brushed over the beautiful skin of Zoro's face, "Did you know that today is your birthday?"

Zoro blinked several times and then shook his head. The puppet did not remember who created him or why he was broken up and left in the forest. Doflamingo thought it was the best for him however. Maybe puppets forgave and forget painful memories better than humans.

Zoro mouthed out the words, 'Today is my birthday Master?'

"Yes, it is, and," Doflamingo stroked Zoro's cheek, "on birthdays I can grant you one special wish."

Zoro held Doflamingo's hand as he thought for a moment. For puppets, Doflamingo was a father and a creator, so they believed he had magical powers. But it was true. He had the talent and skill to grant any puppet's wishes.

The puppet shifted and Doflamingo looked down to gaze into Zoro's face. The puppet had a wish now, he could see through the mysterious crystal black eye, no hint of deception or greed.

'I...I want-'

"Yes?"

Zoro pressed his lips together blushed a little. He pulled away from Doflamingo and covered his face with his hands. The puppeteer chuckled and gently took Zoro's hands and looked into the glimmering orb again.

"What is it my dear?"

'I...I want a...a baby.' Zoro's mouth spelled out his birthday wish.

Doflamingo sat up, "A baby?"

'O-Our baby Master.' Zoro hesitated a little, 'I-Is that possible, or would you like me to think of something else?'

Doflamingo squeezed Zoro's hand gently and shook his head, "Anything is possible for the Great Puppet Master Doflamingo." Zoro's eyes sparkled in delight and grinned bashfully. "Ah, but first we must make love. One cannot possibly create a child if there is no love." Doflamingo shifted back on top of Zoro and slithered his hand down to make Zoro shiver and blush. For a brief moment the puppeteer stopped, and he chose a nearby cloth. He threw it to cover the puppet, so the puppet could only hear the sounds of rustling fabric and Doflamingo's quick pants and satisfied moans.

-.-.-

When the two awoke, they began working on creating their own child. Doflamingo knew he and Zoro could not make a child the traditional way. Fortune was on his side because Zoro was a puppet, so his dream would not end as a disillusion. Doflamingo carried Zoro to his work room and carefully set him down on a chair he brought from the other room. He pulled up the workbench and began setting up his supplies.

Fine wood for its body, head, and limbs; precious gemstones for its eyes; hair from the finest silk string laid out on the table. When he lined up his tools, he picked up a large block of wood and turned to Zoro. He asked his love what kind of child it would be. Would it be a girl? A boy? Would it want to grow up to become a princess, a pirate, a king, a dancer, a singer, or an actor? Would the child love to smile or would it hesitate before pulling up a coy one? Would the child look closer to Zoro or himself? Zoro smiled and caressed his hand over Doflamingo's hand. He mouthed out that he wanted a child who had hands as crafty as the puppet master. Oh, then our child would be a puppeteer, Doflamingo asked, and Zoro nodded.

They have decided they wanted a son, so Doflamingo began to carve the face. He inwardly wanted their son to look just like Zoro, but the other wanted the other way around. They both laughed and agreed to give an equal share for their child. He looked at himself in the mirror to take bits of his appearance onto the little creation, and took some from Zoro. He first cut a large section of the block and made the jaw line. He carved the top part to create a basic structure of the head, forehead, and a blocky nose. Then, he handed Zoro the head of their child, and the puppet began sanding the rough edges. This was the first time Zoro ever participated making puppets, so his husband was being very careful with the sandpaper and the creation's face.

When they finished carving and sanding out the face until it was smooth, Doflamingo called it a day. He explained to Zoro that creating a baby took time for humans, so they should do the same. Time was the key component. If they took time creating their child, their love and affection would surely grow. Zoro understood and looked back to their creation before heading to bed.

Days went by and Zoro and Doflamingo carefully took their time to make their child. He sanded it with more precision, softening her skin until it looked like one could poke his cheek thinking that it would be soft. Every day he made a part of the face. First was the left side of the eye. The next day was the other eye. The following he started carving the nose to look like his. Zoro helped with the sanding, painting, and picking what crystal to use for the eyes.

One day, Zoro dragged himself to the workroom to look at their child. Doflamingo had set the child on a cushion on the floor, so Zoro could easily get it. Their child was almost complete. Six months of creating their son and he was turning into a beautiful creature. His fingers were almost finished; it was the most detailed fingers Zoro had ever seen Doflamingo create. He promised Zoro that their son would be the greatest puppeteer in the world, so he needed the greatest fingers. Zoro awed the hands that would surely animate a puppet just as well as his father.

Their son could not speak yet, but Zoro could hear a faint clicking in the chest, a sign of puppet life. He hugged it close to his chest. He brushed away the short, soft pale green hair and kissed his forehead.

Suddenly, a flash of an image shocked him. His body jerked and all of the joints in his body snapped tight. He dropped their child and it landed with a loud thud. Zoro's body swayed and fell sideways onto the hard wooden floor also. He raised his eye to stare at their son who was inches away. He tried to reach his arms, but his body would not budge. Heat rose to his eye, and he wondered if these were 'tears.' Five or ten minutes Zoro fought against the paralysis, and finally he was able to move. He scrambled up and collected their child back into his arms.

Zoro trembled in fear because this has never happened before. The image he saw before he collapsed was his husband. Did something happen to his master? He held his child and froze when he could not hear the clicking anymore. He pressed his ear to its chest, but it was silent. He looked around the room and noticed something different. All of the puppets in the room were silent. There was no whisper or chatter. He pressed his ear to the baby's chest again, and it was quiet. Something fell from his eye and it was wet. He touched it to see what it was when the door of the home flung open with a strong slam.

Zoro placed their child back and dragged his body to the main room. Doflamingo came home, but there was something wrong with him. He looked tired and very pale. When the puppeteer saw Zoro, he pulled up a smile but it was a smile Zoro never seen before.

"Sorry my dear, I feel a little tired." Doflamingo brushed his hand through his hair, wet from sweat, "I'll take a short nap. Rest assured, it is just a mere cold." Zoro wanted to tell Doflamingo that their child and the rest of his creations had stopped talking, but it came short in his throat. He did not want to stress his husband out. He dragged the rest of his body to the bed and watched Doflamingo slide into the blankets.

Little did they know that Doflamingo would remain in bed and never touch his tools ever again.

**The End**


	3. Will You Hug Me?

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece.  
**

**Will You Hug Me?  
**_Special Day**  
**_

It was Zoro's fifth birthday, and Ace was getting ready for it. He treated all of the sex pets the same, whether they were Normals or Failures. He set up his apartment for the special occasion. He asked Zoro what he wanted to eat on his birthday, so he got the list down. He was a decent chef, and his pets loved his food. The little kitty wanted to eat anything with fish this year, so Ace needed to buy different species of fish.

Before he went out to go shopping, he took a trip to his shop. This was the first part of any sex pet birthday: release them out of their cage and be completely free for the day. Ace twirled the large key ring on his finger as he unlocked the heavy door that led to the Failures. He walked past all of the sleeping creatures and stopped at Zoro's door.

The little kitten heard Ace coming, so he was already at the door. He had his little hands on the glass and looked up in confusion.

"Happy Birthday Zoro."

The kitten's ears twitched, and then a small, shy smile formed on Zoro's face. Ace unlocked the door and waited for the kitten to walk out. When Zoro's tail left the door, Ace pushed it shut until it made a sharp click. Ace reached out a hand, but he remembered that Zoro didn't like holding hands. So, he withdrew it and smiled.

"Follow me."

"O-Okay." Although Zoro's voice was weak, there was a tone of happiness to it. All were alike, no matter the type of pet: they liked to be out of the small rooms.

Once they got out of the store, Ace locked it closed and pointed down the road.

"First, I'm going to shop for the food you want to eat."

"Food?" The kitten asked with a glitter in his eyes, and he licked his lips.

"Yeah...but I know you won't like it, but can I carry you?"

Zoro froze and shook his head wildly. Ace sighed lightly and knelt down to look at Zoro face-to-face.

"I know you hate it, but I can't let you wandering around in a store without a collar. People will kidnap you." Ace patted Zoro's head, "Or we could go back and you can stay at my house while I go shopping." Zoro squeezed his shirt. The kitten didn't want to be touched, but he wanted to see what people did when they shopped too. Curiosity defeated fear, and Zoro nodded.

"I-I want to go shopping with you Ace."

Ace smiled, "Okay." He outstretched his arms, and Zoro crawled in. He stood up and felt the kitten gasp and wiggle. He soothed Zoro down by petting his back, "It's alright."

Once Zoro settled down, Ace walked down the street. Zoro looked around in all directions, his heart swelling with excitement. There were humans and sex pets everywhere. No wonder Ace told him to stay in his arms. He would easily get lost in the crowd.

"What's that Ace?"

Ace glanced over to where Zoro was looking. There was a small stand where an old man was selling balloons and sweets.

"Those are balloons."

Zoro was transfixed at the mysterious floating objects. Ace smiled and turned toward the stand. The kitten realized where they were heading, so he stared widely at Ace and at the balloons.

"I thought we were going shopping for fish."

"We are, but I can buy other things. You want the balloons right?"

"I do I do!" Zoro mewed, and Ace wanted to nuzzle with him if he were a Normal. He crossed the street, and was soon at the mini stand, wondering which balloon Zoro would pick.

"Which one would you like to buy?" The old man asked with a smile.

"Which one?" Ace asked Zoro while pointing to the floating colors, "As many as you want."

"Uh..." Zoro stared up for a while, admiring the translucent surface, "I want that one!" He pointed to the largest balloon. It was clear with several smaller balloons inside. Ace bought it for him, but he didn't realize how big it was until Zoro held it. The kitten's weight was not heavy enough, so he was pulled by it. Ace held him firmly, so Zoro wouldn't fly away. Despite all this, the kitten was giggling with happiness. The balloon was secured by Zoro's wrist, so he shook it wildly. The balloon responded by bouncing in the sky and the little balloons bonking each other like punching bags. This made Zoro laugh, so he shook it again and again.

"Do you like balloons?"

"They're pretty!" Zoro grinned. His small kitten ears and tail moved in subtle twitches. Ace held the little one as he returned to where he was and began his shopping. It was a bit difficult to walk around the stores with an almost floating kitten in his arms, but he somehow managed it. The child was obsessed with the balloon, but he also turned his interest towards the people at the store. He awed and mewed as Ace walked down aisles of food.

"What's that?"

"Canned food."

"What's inside?"

"Anything you could think of."

"Fish?"

"Cooked, yeah."

"I want one!"

"No, not today. Because we're going to use fresh fish."

Zoro lowered his head down and his ears flopped, "I just want to hold it..."

A strange mystery clouded Ace because the canned mackerel was suddenly in Ace's basket. He remembered vaguely that his hand reached for the can, but his vision was shrouded by Zoro's cuteness. He walked out of the store, still in wonder. He stared at the kitten who was holding the balloon string and the can of fish. Was a Failure supposed to do that? No, Failures didn't know how to do that because they fail at these kinds of things. Zoro was biting the surface of the can and made a face because it didn't taste like fish.

"Zoro," Ace raised the plastic bag, "Look what I bought for you."

Zoro peered in the bag, and he mewed in delight at the sight of many fishes. He swooned from the delicious scent of ocean and kelp.

"Do you want to eat it raw or do you want me to fix it up a little?"

"Both!" Zoro grinned.

"Okay, both it is." Ace squeezed the kitten a bit too close, and Zoro flinched, "Ooh, sorry." Zoro rubbed his face and frowned at the older man. Ace chuckled and whispered a small apology. Maybe what he experienced earlier was some kind of illusion because Zoro was a perfect little Failure.

**The End**


	4. The One and Only

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece  
**

**The One and Only  
**_Birthday Dinner**  
**_

**This is between chapter 5 and 6._  
_**

There was a loud explosion that shook Law's home. A deaf person would be the only one sleeping through that. Unfortunately, Sanji wasn't deaf, so he woke up screaming and fell off the bed. When he got up, he scrambled to the door to evacuate. He ran down the hallway like a gazette and found Law at the bottom of the staircase.

"D-Did you hear that Law!?"

"Sure did."

"W-What was that!?"

"Oh," Law pointed to the backyard, "Kidd fixed the back porch."

"You had a porch?"

"Yeah. It broke five years ago, but I left it alone. Kid said he should've called me earlier because the only problem was a wiring shortage, but it's all fixed now."

Sanji went outside to look and was taken aback by surprise. Law's home had a large spacious yard that might be able to fit a small building. The whole space was taken by the porch that suddenly rose up from the ground. The machine hummed and whirred as the porch began protruding tall poles on every corner. When it reached the appropriate height, the tips of the pole began to sprout large white leafs and it became a wonderful shade.

The cook gawked at the crazy innovation.

"I ordered this from Pleasure Furniture, but it broke after I used it the third time. I'm never buying it from that company again."

"So...um, why are you doing this?"

"Huh?" Law's expression wanted Sanji to take back what he said because it made him look like an idiot, "You don't know?"

"I...I don't know."

"Really?" Law crossed his arms, but it was more for a relaxed demeanor over an angry one. "Can't blame you. You never liked the guy."

Sanji stiffened, "Is it something about Zoro?"

"It's all about Zoro. Today's Zoro's birthday."

"Oh...oh...oh crap!"

"Crap is right, "Law looked amused, "you don't have any presents to give Zoro. What a bummer."

"Why didn't you tell me before I came here?"

"It's fun to see you panic."

Sanji gritted his teeth and stormed inside. What was he going to do? He had nothing in his hands to give to Zoro, and the town didn't have the grandeur like Rogue City. The light bulb in his head flashed, so he ran back outside.

"Law!"

"What?"

"Can I borrow your horse and a wagon?"

"...why?"

"I'll make a dinner for Zoro!"

"That's what you do everyday moron."

Sanji frowned. Leave it to Law to state the obvious. "No, I'm going to make all of the things he likes."

Law's eyes lightened up, but his voice was flat. "Cool. Have my horse." Law also had cars, but those were only reserved for him-and sometimes Kidd.

Sanji ran to the back to get ready. On the way, however, he stopped because he heard someone call his name. His heart fluttered and he swallowed down the lump in his throat.

"Sanji-san," Sanji turned to see Zoro walking toward him with his arms outstretched. The blind man smiled as he ran his arms down the wall to walk straight.

"Zoro!" Sanji walked back to help the invalid, "Be careful!"

"I heard your steps, and they were quicker than usual. Why are you in such a hurry?"

"Uh...I...H-Happy Birthday Zoro..."

Zoro's dead eyes widened in surprise, and the soft wrinkles around his eyes and lips deepened from happiness, "Thank you Sanji-san."

"Law didn't tell me that today was your birthday." Sanji felt like he was a little kid tattle telling to an adult. "So, I was going to go out to buy something."

"Oh, but you don't have to..."

"Zoro, this is my first time celebrating your birthday." Sanji answered as he gently brushed his hand across Zoro's arm. The man lifted lowered his head and smiled shyly, "I want to."

"Well, if you want." Zoro chuckled, pulling himself away from the cook. "For me, just hearing you say 'happy birthday' makes the day worthwhile."

Sanji's heart pained to hear him say that. Zoro only saw his as a stranger, not the man whom he had a crush on for years.

Zoro sensed the sadness and his eyes lowered, "I'm sorry that I keep overlapping you with Sanji. I don't know what's wrong with me."

"I-It's alright. ...I-I sound like him right?"

"Very. It scares me sometimes." Zoro chuckled lightly, "It makes me want to fall in love with you."

"Why don't you?" Sanji pressed.

Zoro hugged his chest, "I don't want to hurt you." Then the blind man looked up and smiled with a hint of shame, "I'm sorry I took up your time."

"Oh..." Sanji was disheartened whenever Zoro abruptly ended a topic. He wanted to know more about Zoro's feelings, but the man never let him in. "Alright. I-I'm making a birthday dinner for you."

"That'll be great."

"What would you like to eat?"

"Ohh, I haven't eaten udon noodles for a long time. I would like to taste it again."

"Anything else?"

"I'll leave it up to you."

Sanji held Zoro's hand and shook it, meaning that he was nodding. Zoro nodded also and stepped backwards until his back touched the wall. He stood there waiting until he heard Sanji's footsteps leave. When he heard it grow faint and even hear the door clicking twice, he let out a breath.

-.-.-

When Sanji returned home on Shachi the horse, there was unexpected news. Law got a sudden urgency from a patient living out of town and was in a dire need of a doctor. The black haired was enraged because today was supposed to be his day off. But lives needed to be saved, and the excuse of "No, I can't help you because today I'm going to a birthday party" wasn't going to work at all.

"This sucks!" Law shouted out loud. Sanji tried to calm Law down because the patient's family was still in the other room. "Why today huh? I'm so unlucky-!" He threw a large suitcase on the bed and stuffed medical tools and clothes randomly inside. Then he shoved everything so it would fit, and slammed it closed. Sanji thought he heard a sound of broken glass in the case.

"Nah, it's probably the syringes. I have extras." Law simply answered as he locked it tight, "But man that sucks."

"I'm sorry...I'll leave leftovers."

"You better." Law paused and then pulled a crooked smile, "Well I guess that means you two are going to be alone."

Sanji stared wide eyed, and then he blushed. Law tapped him on the shoulder as if he was close buddy knowing that his friend was going to do something intimate with his girlfriend.

"Good luck."

"I-I-We're not going to do anything!"

"Oh really?"

"Yes."

"Nah," Law snickered, "You really want to do it with him."

"No Law-! Shut up!" The doctor laughed joyfully,, but he ran out of the room as fast as he could, dragging the patient's family with him. Sanji lowered the hand that held a large pillow and dropped his shoulders. He had the rest of the day to spend time with Zoro. Sanji's heart suddenly started to beat quicker. He took advantage of his racing heart to cook. The emotion of intense love was converted to adrenaline.

Cooking had been his hobby, a recreation, a career, so he fixed a spectacular dinner. But why were his hands trembling so much? He made Zoro every week, so this should be normal. Was it because he was handling foods that were Zoro's favorites? He was especially careful with the udon. He started from scratch, which he realized later how grueling it was to make the noodles. He actually never tried making East Blueian food, so he had his face buried in the cookbook.

When he finished cutting up the noodles, he realized that there were many different ways to make the noodle. So, Sanji walked up to Zoro's room to ask what he wanted.

Zoro was at his favorite lounging chair and his head was leaned back and to the side. The man had fallen asleep in the midst of reading. Sanji approached him slowly, but before he tapped his shoulder the man stirred.

"Nnhn...? Sanji-san?"

"Ahhh..." Sanji swallowed and his body shivered from Zoro's sleepy moan, "Um. W-What type of udon did you wanted to eat?"

"I didn't tell you?"

"Yes."

Zoro chuckled, "Oh, sorry about that. I want kitsune."

"I-Is that the one with the fried tempura-"

"No, that's tanuki. Kitsune is the one with the fried tofu."

"So that's kitsune?"

"Yup." Zoro pulled up a playful smirk, "Let me guess. You never handled tofu before?"

"Yes I did," Sanji said quickly, "but I didn't know you can fry it too."

"It tastes really good." Zoro smiled, "and with your hands I bet it'll taste even better. I can't wait to taste your style."

"I hope I don't mess up..."

"You won't." Zoro closed the book and stretched. Then, he stood up, "Can I hear you cook?"

Sanji stiffened a little, "S-Sure, if you want." Zoro walked forward, using Sanji's voice as a guide and bumped into the cook. Zoro stepped back a little and chuckled like a young boy. He raised a hand, and Sanji took it. Zoro's hand was large and warm. The man closed his eyes and allowed Sanji to take him downstairs. Zoro could walk around the home as smoothly as a person with normal vision, but sometimes he took the luxury of letting someone guide him. Zoro liked when Sanji guided him because the cook was careful. Law just dragged him around and purposely stopped; the guy liked to play around.

They entered the dining room, and Sanji helped Zoro pull up a chair. The blind man sat and folded his hands together. Sanji asked if Zoro wanted to drink something, but Zoro just waved him off. Sanji returned to the kitchen to begin making the soup base when Zoro peeked in. He looked like he was peeking but his eyes weren't looking at Sanji's direction.

"Where's Law?"

"Uh, he had to leave because of an emergency."

"Oh." Zoro's voice sounded bright, "Then that means we're going to eat dinner together."

"Y-Yeah." Sanji hoped his voice didn't sound nervous.

-.-.-

Sanji decided that Zoro's birthday dinner was focused on East Blueian food. So, when the older man sat down to eat he recognized the smell of the dishes right away. He looked really happy when he felt the bowls and asked Sanji what they were. To Sanji's glee, Zoro really enjoyed eating Sanji's homemade udon.

"Wow, you really make good East Blueian food."

"Thanks Zoro."

"Is this really your first time?"

"Yeah."

"Wow, I'm amazed."

Sanji blushed and fiddled with his thumbs. He felt all gushy and happy whenever Zoro complimented him.

"This is the best birthday I've ever had."

"Oh...stop Zoro."

"No really."

"D-Did I beat Mr. Black in cooking?" Sanji couldn't help but ask. It felt so strange to fight against oneself; to be an enemy of one's past.

"I don't know. I never tried his dishes-" Zoro set the chopsticks down on the table, "You know, now that I think about it, Sanji made me something once."

"H-He did?" Sanji blurted, heat burst onto his face, "W-What did I-h-he make?"

Zoro grinned and a faint blush formed across his face, "A cookie."

"A cookie?" Suddenly a flash of memory came across Sanji. Oh yeah, he did give Zoro a cookie. He made it from his first culinary class, and Zoro nagged for it. The two had fought, and Zoro ended up stealing one crumbled remnant of a cookie. The green haired man grinned as he had taken a bite and said, '_Thanks Blondie! By the way, today's my birthday_.'

"I didn't make you a cookie...you stole it." Sanji smiled a small smile upon remembering that day.

"Huh?" Zoro raised his head, "What did you say?"

Sanji looked up to see the blind man. His eyebrows were raised slightly, and he waited for Sanji to answer.

The cook just chuckled, holding back the words he wanted to say to Zoro.

Sanji raised a glass, "Let's have a toast, Zoro."

Zoro smiled and raised his glass, "Cheers."

The glasses connected and made a gentle chime, "Happy Birthday Zoro."

**The End**


	5. Deception

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece.**

**Deception  
**_Birth of a Monster**  
**_

**This is Chapter 0.  
**

A scream ripped through and a man fell onto his back. His chest was sliced open and bleeding profusely. The skinny man rolled around as he continued yelling out bloody murderer. He let out a high pitched squeal when a sword tip greeted him in the face. His bottom lip trembled when he stared up at a young man with fierce looking eyes. He was beaten by the rumored pirate hunter, Roronoa Zoro. His two comrades cheered behind him as if they were cheer leaders. On the other hand, his crewmates were scatted about all unconscious or groaning in pain.

"Do you surrender?" the swordsman asked in a quiet tone.

The captain of the Cursed Pirate Crew gritted his teeth with hate. They gained fame just a month ago, he couldn't afford to lose it now! Curse this man, Roronoa!

The captain chuckled darkly, "Your luck...how unfortunate that we have met."

"Huh?" Zoro raised an eyebrow at the man, "What are you talking about? You're the one who's unlucky."

The lanky man chuckled louder; the dark bags under his eyes seemed to shake. The bizarre laughter distracted Zoro for a second, and it was fatal. The captain suddenly pulled out a hand mirror and threw it at Zoro's face. The swordsman blocked it with his arm, but it shattered from the force. Bits of glass flew everywhere, and some sliced bits of his cheek.

"A-Aniki!" Johnny and Yosaku shouted in unison.

"What the-? A mirror?" Zoro lowered his arm after the mirror pieces fell to the ground. He rubbed his face to brush off the glass pieces.

"Oh no!" The captain screamed in horror, as if it was the end of the world, "You broke the mirror!"

"It's because you threw it at me, you dork!" Zoro snapped back in anger.

"You better be careful," the creepy man whispered while his large eyes nearly boggled out of his sockets, "breaking mirrors is horrible! Horrible! Oh so horrible! You're going to be cursed for seven years or maybe more-!"

Out of fury-and he was getting annoyed with the man's babbling-the swordsman flipped his sword around and hit the captain of the Cursed Pirate across the head. The man fell unconscious and stayed still like the rest of his crew.

Zoro cursed under his breath as he plucked the rest of the bits of glass off his face. Johnny and Yosaku scrambled past Zoro to tie the pirates up, so they could get ready to deliver them to the nearest Marine Base.

"Oh no, d-don't move Aniki." Johnny rushed up to touch Zoro's face, "Let me get those out for you."

Zoro hissed as Johnny clumsily dug his nails over the wounded skin to peel out the glass shard. When his fellow bounty hunter finished, he stepped back.

"We should go and find a doctor Aniki."

"Nah, I'll be alright." Zoro tapped his hand to see blood still trickling from the cuts, "I'll go and find some lake to wash up."

"But are you going to be alright?"

"Sure, I'll clean it up."

"No, that that..." Yosaku hesitated for a second, "The curse."

"What?"

"The curse of the broken mirror."

"Oh my god. Do you want me to clobber you like I did with that man?"

"No! But, Zoro...Captain Vudoo was rumored the eeriest pirates in the East Blue. Many of the pirates who fought against them mysteriously vanish. I-I-I hope that doesn't happen to you too-"

Johnny and Yosaku were on the ground with a large bump on their heads. The youngest swordsman stormed down a forest with a grumpy feeling. The curse of broken mirrors? How stupid! Zoro never believed in such a thing. Sure, he had heard of it, but he never considered it to be true.

Zoro found a lake on the right hand side, so he headed toward it. He grumbled under his breath as he knelt down beside it. The black bandana was unraveled and he dipped it into the water. The surface was broken and the quiet lake was disturbed. Large rings moved the surface and made his reflection wavy. The swans that were swimming on the lake were carried away by the gentle waves of the ripples.

He pulled the bandana out of the water, wrung it, and began washing his face. Zoro thought he saw something and he cast a glance at the lake.

A hand poked out from where his reflection was.

Zoro dropped his bandana and staggered back. The hand was gone, but Zoro didn't dare to look back. First, he thought it was a corpse that was dropped into the lake and gradually floated to the surface. But the skin was a healthy tan color, strangely identical to his. Zoro shivered, wiping away the sweat that suddenly poured from his pores. Whatever that was, he didn't want to look into the water to check again.

Miraculously, he trudged back to where Johnny and Yosaku were waiting. He was glad for he didn't want to be alone. The two noticed the paleness on the swordsman's face, so they became very concerned.

"A-Are you alright Aniki?"

"Y-Yeah."

"Did you lose a lot of blood? Maybe we should go and find a doctor."

"I-I think I should." Upon Zoro's answer, Johnny and Yosaku exchanged horrified glances. Zoro always refused to find a doctor. They hurriedly gathered the pirate crew and began dragging them out of the forest. Zoro trailed after with the captain on his shoulders, recalling back to the hand he saw at the lake.

-.-.-

They returned to the small town where the Cursed Pirate Crew stayed and dictated. The citizens cheered and welcomed the bounty hunters. Johnny and Yosaku received kisses, hugs, and gifts, even though they didn't do much of the fighting. Some of the women walked up to give Zoro a kiss, but the swordsman swatted them away like annoying flies. He never liked these kinds of laudations. Plus, his mood wasn't exactly right to enjoy it.

First they dropped the crew to the dock area, so that a ship could carry them to some Marine Base. A Marine Officer jotted down the names of each of the pirate crew, and wrote down the price of each bounty. The only man who had a price was the captain, so they got about sixty-thousand Beli.

"Vudoo...?" The Marine Officer glanced up at the three, "You guys beat Vudoo?"

"Yeah."

Suddenly, the officer stepped back, "D-Did he leave a curse on you guys?"

"Uhh...no." Johnny lied because he thought the officer might freak out and forget to give them the reward, "We beat him up before he got the chance."

"Oh thank god."

"Uh, where's the nearest hospital around here?"

"Oh, right up there near the chapel."

"Thanks. Come on Zoro."

Johnny and Yosaku took Zoro by the arm and led him to the hospital because the young swordsman grew paler and paler by the minute.

-.-.-

Johnny and Yosaku left early to head down to the main plaza. There was a huge festival in honor of them for defeating Captain Vudoo. Zoro really wanted them to stay, but he didn't want them to worry any more about the curse. He fidgeted, however, and the doctor mistaken it for the fear of needles.

"Don't worry son. It'll only be a prick."

"I know." Zoro hastily answered.

The cuts were shallow and Johnny took out all of the glass, so it wasn't severe. Zoro thanked the man and asked if he could borrow the restroom.

"Head out and turn left."

"Thanks." Zoro walked out and turned right. Thankfully, the doctor called out in time, so the swordsman was able to make it to the restroom. The swordsman locked the door and turned on the switch. Light flooded the small bathroom into a bright yellow color. Zoro sighed and took a good look at the mirror. He had several bandages over his forehead, cheek, and nose. Those mirror shards didn't do much harm, but he looked stupid with the band-aids.

Then, he noticed something different, something strange about his reflection. Was he smiling that much? Were his eyes wide and gleaming? Zoro involuntarily touched his lips to check if he was smiling like that.

In the reflection, the hand that was supposed to touch the lips remained resting on the sink.

Zoro never felt so scared in his life. He wanted to run over to the toilet and puke, but there was no time to. The hand shot out from the reflection and grabbed Zoro's wrist. The hand was icy cold and glossy, exactly how a mirror would feel. He was yanked and crashed into the mirror. The glass shook but didn't shatter, but he saw his reflection looking straight at him with wide frantic eyes. He freaked out when part of his arm was inside the mirror, and so he was trapped with this monster that looked so much like him.

"Hey there." The voice in the reflection greeted the petrified swordsman. Zoro felt so dizzy because the voice sounded just like him too, "Wow, you're awfully pretty." Zoro tried to yank his hand away from the grip, but it wouldn't budge.

"What are you!?" Zoro shouted, trying to hide his fear of the talking reflection.

"You don't know me? How silly. Of course you do. I'm you."

"No that can't be-"

"Oh yes it can. Did you break a mirror?" The reflection grinned widely when he felt Zoro finch, "You did! Well, because of your sincerity I am born. Happy Birthday to me."

Zoro didn't understand how breaking mirrors was a sincere action. He didn't like this at all.

"Uh...c-can you let go of me?"

The smile on the reflection's fell dramatically fell, "No way. Do you know how tedious it is to mimic what you are doing every day? Do you know how lifeless it feels when you leave and I have to wonder what you're doing in the other world? Do you know how jealous I become when I see you with another?"

Zoro swallowed large lump in his throat.

"I want you, Zoro." The reflection moaned wantonly when he said _their_ name, "I love you, I need you, I yearn for you. You must be mine, forever mine!" Zoro shivered when the man who looked like him raised his voice. He was also being dragged in, and Zoro writhed his body to decrease the risk of being pulled in. "Come in Zoro! It'll be fun! We'll spend the rest of our lives together forever!"

"Nn-No!" Zoro, in a desperate attempt, raised his free hand and slammed at the mirror with all his might.

The mirror cracked and spider web like patterns formed from his bloody fist. It was hard to see the reflection now. His arm became free, so Zoro pulled it out from the cracking mirror. Every bit of glass fell like rain onto the floor and sink. Zoro stepped back to avoid the falling shards.

Then, his eyes widened in horror as many, tiny hands rose from individual shards and began to cling on Zoro's ankles. He heard his voice chanting his name over and over. Some were low and growling, some were high pitched and quick. Most, however, sounded just like his voice. Zoro held his ears because he didn't want to hear any of it anymore. He thought he was going insane.

"Stop!" Zoro screamed and kicked the shards off his boots. He burst out of the restroom and almost knocked over the doctor who had heard his screams. The swordsman ran down the plaza, naturally taking the wrong turn, but it was leading to the place he wanted.

He made it to the dock where the Marine Officers were loading up the pirates. Zoro made it in time, and he spotted the captain. Captain Vudoo was already in handcuffs and chains and was dragging along with the other prisoners. When he saw the swordsman running, he panicked.

"You!" Zoro shouted at the captain and punched him in the head, "Get rid of the curse!"

"Ahh! Ow, what-! ...Oh, did you finally witness it?" Zoro twisted his lips, but the lanky man understood his silent gesture, "I pity you."

"Remove it or I will slice you in half!"

"Then I guess you have to cut me." The man answered boldly, although his knees were shaking, "B-Because I only curse people. I never undid a curse before."

"What?" Zoro turned blue in the face, but then his rage returned with full force, "You bastard!" The captain, feeling proud that he made the fearsome Pirate Hunter scared, cackled a laugh as he was taken into the ship. The swordsman covered his face and tried to close out all sound, especially the annoying laughter of Captain Vudoo.

This was how Zoro gained the curse.

**The End**


	6. Life Can Be Rewritten

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece.**

**Life Can be Rewritten  
**_A Children's Gift_**  
**

Suddenly, Ace clutched Sabo's hands and squeezed them. Sabo recalled the same scene when a soon-to-be bride and groom held hands before their wedding. This surprised him so much, his face turned red for no reason. He felt a bit proud that he was able to make friends with the new kid, Ace, faster than anybody else in class. It made sense because he and Ace were already friends before school started. They lived in the same neighborhood, so they could take a short walk to get to the other's home.

"Na Sabo...I have a problem. Can you help me?"

Sabo swallowed and squeezed Ace's hands back with confidence, "Yeah! I-I'll help!"

Ace lowered his shoulders and sighed of relief. The tense strain on the thin eyebrows was gone. Sabo was led out of the classroom while everyone was running down the halls to go home as fast as they could. The two took their time, walking down the hallways, and headed to the kindergarten building to pick up Luffy. The little five year old was waiting and grinned brightly when he saw his brother and friend.

"Sabo!" Luffy shouted in glee, "Are you coming to our house to play?"

"Luffy, we're going to walk around before heading home. Do you want to come or do you want us to take you home?" Ace asked.

Luffy thought for a second. "Yeah!"

"We can't tell which one you said 'yeah' to."

"Oh! Uh...I want to go with you!" Luffy wanted to stay with his brother and his friend because he liked them very much. Sometimes though, the older two left Luffy at home because he was 'too little' or didn't understand 'big boy's game.' But today, Ace seemed like he needed his younger brother's help also. Luffy jumped up and down in excitement.

"Where are we going?"

"We're just going to walk around and talk."

"Okay! I like walking and talking!" Luffy chirped.

"So, what is it you want to talk about?" Sabo asked.

Ace lowered his head and guided them to a road leading to a man-made river. The road was unpaved, so grass and weeds were sprouting everywhere between the pebbled road. There was a large grassy area where the three usually stopped to play tag. Ace walked to the messy lawn and lay in the grass. Sabo didn't like to lay in it, so he sat next to Ace. Luffy wanted to look cool like his older brother, so he lay in the grass also.

"Tomorrow," Ace started, "is Zoro's birthday."

"Zoro? Y-Your dad?"

"Yeah!" Luffy shouted, "A-And we want to make a birthday party!"

"You should do that!" Sabo agreed, but he saw his friends' mood grow gloomy. "What happened?"

"That's the problem," Ace frowned, "We don't know how."

"What?" Sabo didn't get it, so he titled his head to the side. What did Ace didn't get about birthdays?

"In the orphanage, but we never got birthdays. They only told us we grew up a year, so we know how old we were." Ace folded his arms and grew dark, a dark memory he particularly didn't like.

"No cakes? No presents?"

"Ooh!" Luffy's eyes twinkled, "You get cake on birthdays! Ace, I want to eat a cake on my birthday!"

Ace ignored his younger brother, "Yeah, so we want to give something for Zoro, but we can't make a cake."

"You guys can give Z-your dad a present."

"I want a present too!"

"On your birthday maybe! Shut up or we're going to take you home!" Ace snapped and caused Luffy to shrivel. The youngest child didn't cry, but he drew his attention to the weeds and began picking them. Ace shrugged it off and turned to Sabo, "So, what do people give on birthdays?"

"Um...Dad usually gives me toys or something I like."

Ace rummaged through his pockets and drew up small change, "I found them on the ground," Ace fell silent because he was counting them. "I have sixty-five Beli."

"Sixty-five Beli..." Sabo fell silent too, "We can't buy toys. They're expensive."

"Hmm..."

"We could buy candy. That's twenty-five Beli."

"But I want something fancy!"

Meanwhile, Luffy ran off to a patch filled with dandelions. The yellow flowers were gone, so there were dozens of dandelion seed heads. Luffy secretly called puffs because all were round, white, and fluffy to the touch. Luffy plucked three and returned to the two racking their brains.

"Here!" Luffy forcefully pushed one dandelion seed head to each of his friend's hands, "It's fun!"

"Hey Luffy," Sabo pointed to the puff ball, "Did you know that you need to make a wish first before you blow it?"

"You do?"

"Yeah. If you can blow all of the seeds in one breath, your wish will come true."

"Oh!" Luffy squealed, "So so, if I wish for a McBuggy will it come true?"

"_If_ you can blow all the seeds off."

"B-But what if I can't?"

"Try again. There's a lot around here."

Ace was suddenly looming into their faces, so Sabo and Luffy jumped. The freckled faced boy stared at the dandelion puff in his hand and then faced Sabo.

"Do people give flowers on birthdays?"

"Uh...yeah. I've seen Dad give flowers to his 'ladies.'"

Ace grinned, "I think I have a great idea!" He got up and ran through the fields, "Come on!" Sabo and Luffy exchanged looks, and they ran after Ace. The idea was revealed and the three went on picking. What they filled their arms with were dandelion puffs. They were careful to not disturb their perfect sphere of seeds. The dandelion seed heads needed to be round and ready for wishes.

Ace pleaded to Sabo to keep all of the collected dandelions at his home, but he also pleaded to never tell his father about it. The children, except Luffy, saw a special twinkle in Sabo's father's eyes when Zoro was mentioned. So, Sabo promised fully on the dandelions, but he couldn't really keep the other. He needed a definite reason why Sabo brought home weeds.

-.-.-

The next day was Zoro's birthday. Zoro was off from work, so he could spend time with his children. It was unusual that both of his children were wide awake and already dressed.

"Wow, you guys woke up on your own? You've grown up!"

"Daddy!" Luffy chirped, "It's because today's a special day!"

"It is?" Zoro thought, "Do we have something planned?"

"Yeah Zoro! Today's your birthday!" Ace exclaimed. Luffy pouted because he wanted to say it with his brother, but started late. However, when Ace smiled at Luffy, the younger brother grinned back for it meant they were cueing for it.

"Happy birthday!" Each cheered the last part with Ace as 'Zoro' and Luffy as 'daddy.'

Zoro smiled and hugged his children, "Thank you so much."

"And and we have a present for you!"

"Really? A present for me?"

"Yeah! Can you wait Zoro? We need to go and get it!"

"O-Okay." Zoro was confused, but he smiled anyways. The children were literally a perfect definition of 'jumping jellybeans' because they were eager to run out of the apartment. They did, and ran toward Sabo's home.

Sabo was already walking toward their apartment, so they met him halfway. He held two large plastic bags filled with dandelion puffs, still fresh and untouched. The three ran back, and Sabo had to tell Ace.

"I had to tell Dad."

"Oh man!" Ace groaned.

"B-But he invited you guys to come over. He's going to make a big birthday dinner!"

"Dinner?" Luffy suddenly dropped his jaw and drool trailed down the corners of his mouth. Ace frowned, but inwardly his stomach was growling at the thought of food. Sabo handed one bag to Ace, so that Sabo didn't need to carry it all. They ran so fast that when they reached the door, the three were out of breath. Ace shook his head to alleviate his blood rushed head, and knocked.

"Zoro! We're back!"

Zoro opened the door and saw three young grinning boys.

"What did you bring?"

"Come outside!"

Ace and Luffy took Zoro by the hand and led him out and into the barren yard. Just like the apartment, the lawn had been left as it was, so it was almost bald with bits of weeds growing here and there. Then, the three opened the bag and began handing dandelion seed heads to Zoro.

"Whoa, what's this?" Zoro asked while chuckling at the copious amount of white puffs.

"Daddy, make a wish!" Luffy's eyes sparkled in delight as he continued to hand his father dandelion puffs.

"A wish?"

"Yeah! Oh! But you have to blow all of the seeds!"

"Zoro!" Ace handed one large dandelion puff, "We picked lots of them, so you can wish a lot of wishes! Y-You can wish yourself to get better!"

"And eat cake!" Luffy added.

Ace and Luffy gasped when Zoro dropped the dandelion puffs and was suddenly was given a tight hug.

"Z-Zoro?"

"Daddy, you dropped them."

"...thank you Ace, Luffy," Ace and Luffy fell silent when he felt their shirts grow moist from Zoro's silent tears, "I'm sorry for dropping them...I'm just so..." Zoro pulled away and chuckled, "I don't know why I'm crying."

Luffy pressed his little hands on Zoro's face, "Daddy, don't cry."

Zoro smiled and hugged his children again, "I won't anymore. It's my birthday. It's a time to be happy."

"Yeah! That's why it's called 'happy birthday'!" Luffy exclaimed, surprised himself when he found out the meaning of 'happy birthday.'

Zoro turned his attention to Sabo and patted his head, "Did you help them find the dandelions?"

"Yeah." Sabo answered, swinging his arms around to wave away his embarrassment. Then, he remembered what his father was planning. He didn't want to disappoint his dad since Sanji started preparing the dinner since last night. "Um...Ace's dad."

"Hm?"

"I-I told my dad that your birthday is today, so he told me to invite you to our house for d-dinner."

Zoro stiffened a little. He wasn't used to adults yet, and Sanji was old enough to remember the slaughter at Kaigun Village. But the man was kind, kinder than any 'out of institution' person he met. He did open his heart a bit to let Sanji peek in.

He needed to move on. He didn't want to lag behind because of his fear of people. If he didn't open the gates who would?

Zoro nodded slowly, "Thanks for inviting me...I-I'll go."

"R-Really?" Sabo choked because he thought Zoro would say no.

"Zoro..." Ace had his mouth open and staring at his father in disbelief.

Zoro turned to his oldest son and brushed his hand through Ace's wavy hair, "I need to change."

Ace clenched his fists, but nodded in defeat. He and Luffy were able to guide Zoro out of the mental hospital and allow Zoro to have a normal life. It was the adult's turn to lead Zoro, help Zoro regain his trust toward his peers again. Ace picked up the dandelion puff off the ground and handed to Zoro.

"Your first wish."

Zoro silently took the dandelion seed head and stared at it with a distant expression. He thought of many dreams and picked one that he wanted to come true. Then he blew as strongly as he could. The children watched as all of the little seeds were plucked from their homes and were carried away by his breath. One by one, the seeds left, carrying away Zoro's wish on their backs and flew across the yard, over the dead grass, and up into the sky to ride a stronger breeze.

Ace watched the seeds fly away, and he turned back to Zoro's hand, only to find a slender stem with a small white point, empty and lonely for all its babies were gone.

"You did it Zoro!" Ace cheered, "You blew all of the seeds!"

"Yeay! Daddy's wish is going to come true!"

"Congratulations Ace's dad."

"Thank you, you guys."

"What did you wish for Daddy?"

"Well I-"

"Stupid! You can't tell him that or his wish won't come true!"

"Oh no! Daddy don't tell me!"

Zoro laughed, "Alright, I won't."

"Wish more daddy!" Luffy handed dozens, so it looked like a bouquet of white snow.

"A few more, and we're going to get ready to go to Sabo's home." Zoro said, but he didn't stop at 'few.' He blew all of the dandelions they had collected because it was a special birthday gift after all. There must have been thousands of tiny white dandelion umbrellas in the sky. Zoro wished so much that he didn't have any more things to wish for, so he handed the rest to his children to make their own wishes. As their children thought hard as if they were ninjas ready to conjure a trick, Zoro stared up at the pale blue sky. Some of the seeds were hovering, wondering which wind to ride. He wondered if the first group of dandelions left. He hoped that it would travel far and wide, so his wishes could be spread all over and grow.

What did Zoro wish for?

It would be kept a secret for Zoro's sake.

**The End**


	7. Heart

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece.  
**

**Heart  
**_A Humble Gift**  
**_

**This is rated M.  
**

Today was Zoro's birthday. The eight year old boy-now nine-hurriedly made his bed but straightened out all of the wrinkles. He didn't want his mom to come in with a temper when she saw that his bed wasn't made perfectly clean. He was anxious and curious on what his birthday was like. He usually wasn't interested, but this year his younger brother Koune had the grandest birthday party Zoro had ever seen. Koune's party was done outdoors, so Zoro got to see it all from his bedroom window.

His parents rented a large bouncing house thing, and it was shaped like a gigantic pirate ship. There was a man in a tuxedo who pulled out rabbits from hats. If Zoro was at the party, he would've asked how the man did it. There were tons of children around Koune's age running, screaming, and laughing. He couldn't tell if they were just classmates or friends because he had so many friends. So, Zoro called them peers.

There was food and presents everywhere! On one long table, there were large dishes of snacks, finger foods, and a very big cake. He had overheard his parent's that they ordered all of them from a man named Zeff. Zoro stared down at the food most of the time because he hadn't eaten since the day before. He saw an old man and a boy carrying all of the plates of food. He knew the boy as Sanji because he was Koune's best friend, so he assumed the old man was Zeff.

The presents, oh, there was so many. There was a special table to put the presents. There was already a large stack of presents from his parents' yet all of Koune's peers brought in presents as large as they. When there was opening presents time, it was like magic. Everything Koune opened was things that Zoro also wanted. All of Koune's peers were screaming and saying "Lucky!" as Koune showed the gifts to his friends.

Koune's party was glowing vivid in his mind. If Koune had a birthday party, maybe his mom and dad had something for him too. He had been good this past week; he tried not to anger his mom in any way. He stayed away from her to keep her 'precious private bubble' from breaking and he had been very quiet. He didn't expect anything as big as Koune, but he wished for the Luffybomba action figure. It was a hot toy item for children; everyone in his class had it. It blinked with hundreds of lights, it made sounds, it talked, it sang, it laughed, it played games, it walked, it ran, it punched, and it even had an alarm system to wake one up.

Zoro crept down the stairs and found his mother in the living room. He sucked in a breath because his mother was beautiful today. Her natural long black hair was glimmering like a sun shining down a river. She was reclining on a sofa and was reading a women's magazine. She stopped from time to time to drink tea from a fancy teacup. She was very relaxed and in a placid state, which gave Zoro the courage to ask.

When he stepped in, the atmosphere was disturbed. She sent a murderous glare to Zoro that asked him why he was in the room when she didn't want him.

"What do you want?" She snapped and slammed the magazine down on the table. It made a loud clang sound for the table was made out of glass, and the teacup clattered and twirled around from the force. Zoro flinched from the noise and staggered back a few steps, "Can't you tell I was busy?"

"I-I'm sorry Mommy-"

"Then go away!"

"B-But Mommy..."

"What now?"

"T-Today's my birthday." Zoro held a breath and waited for his mother to react. He couldn't breathe when she suddenly got up, stormed up to him, and struck him across the face. She didn't strike him as hard, so he stood where he was. He held his burning cheek and stared up at his furious mother.

"Your birthday?" She screamed in a shrilling voice, "That's the last thing I want to remember! You ruined my life the day you were born, you piece of shit!"

"M-Mommy-!"

"Shut the fuck up!" She raised a foot and kicked Zoro on the side. This time he fell and he scraped his elbows on the carpet. Once his mother got mad there was no stopping, so Zoro scrambled up on his feet and ran for the door. Luckily, he made it out before she grabbed for his hair she despised so much, and closed the door. He heard her shout a stream of curses, but then he heard the sharp click of the lock. His heart thudded and gripped his shirt.

His mother was furious, so she needed a few hours to calm down. There was no way Zoro could ask her a Luffybomba now. He felt his eyes beginning to burn, but he held him. He wasn't going to cry. He had cried once, but he had been betrayed. No one would believe him that his mother's beautiful complexion turned sour at his sight; her slender, milky white hands turned his skin black and blue. Zoro lowered his head and slowly turned away from the door.

The family pet dog, Lucifer, saw Zoro at the porch and gleefully ran up to him. He hugged Lucifer and pet its sleek, black fur. He realized that he was standing where everyone could see him, so he ran to Lucifer's pet house and pulled a dusty cap from under the blankets. Lucifer whined as he watched his master pull it on his head to hide his green hair.

Zoro kissed Lucifer on the forehead and ran out of the gates and to the closest place where he could spend all day and would not get bored: a park. He found it after walking around the neighborhood twice. He walked past the play house and the sand area to get to the swings. The swings were the only place where he felt like flying and was physically higher than anyone. Kicking the sand under his feet relieved his stress. But today, no matter how much he kicked and swung until he was horizontal to the highest bar that connected to the ground, he couldn't get rid of his sadness. The velocity gradually dropped to the point he slowly gliding his shoes over the sand back and forth. He saw a large bug treading through the sand, so he followed it. He then saw two large shoes within his vision and he raised his head.

His uncle was standing while panting in shallow breaths. He was gripping his heart, and Zoro saw he had a thin sheet of sweat on his face. His uncle had ran, and he wasn't supposed to since he had gotten so weak.

"Zoro...uh...good morning."

"...good morning Jii-chan."

He knelt down so he was face-to-face with Zoro. He placed his hand on Zoro's bruised cheek, "Are you alright? Did Reika hurt you?"

Zoro opened his mouth to speak, but his voice was lost. Tears began to fall in large droplets. He promised to himself to never cry again, yet... He felt his uncle hold Zoro's hand.

"What happened child? That's not that Zoro I know."

"...T-Today's my birthday..." Zoro whispered through sobs, "I told Mommy and she hit me and kicked me out of the house..."

He heard his uncle gasp and fell silent. Zoro looked up, but his eyes were so watery everything was a blur.

"Happy Birthday Zoro."

Zoro blushed and felt embarrassed because suddenly everything felt better. "T-Thank you Jii-chan." Zoro pulled a little smile.

"I want to give you something special. What would you like?"

Zoro's eyes widened in surprise and froze in place. Zoro never had the luxury to do whatever he wanted, so this was going to be his first experience. The first thing that blared his mind like lights was the Luffybomba action figure. He wanted it so badly, but how was he going to take it home? What if Koune found and it took it away from him? What if his mother thought he stole it and beat him to near death? He shivered at the thought of that. So he decided something that he didn't need to take it home but it was as something he yearned.

"I..." Zoro started, "I want to go to a restaurant and eat a children's lunch."

"Lunch?" Hiroshi asked in bewilderment, "just lunch?"

Zoro nodded and began fumbling his fingers.

"Did you have something you wanted? Like a toy?"

Zoro hesitated a little, but he nodded.

"What is it?"

"A...A Lufibomba."

The older man smiled, "If you want it Zoro, I'll get it for you."

Zoro fumbled with his worn out t-shirt now. "I want it...but Kou will take it."

Hiroshi let out a silent ahh. He remembered the spoiled, selfish, but beautiful angel-like child who was treated like a fragile prince. If Zoro did return home with a toy, Koune would surely steal it and claim it as his, and maybe tell Reika that Zoro stole it from him. His dear, little nephew would end up as the worst birthday ever. Hiroshi patted Zoro on the shoulder.

"Do you want to eat the children's lunch?"

Zoro nodded and a small smile formed on his face.

"Then, let's go. I know a good place." As his uncle took Zoro by the hand and started walking, his little nephew began explaining, sprouting out expectations.

"I-I heard that they make the ketchup rice in a shape of a hill and put a flag on it."

"Yes they do that Zoro."

"Does it have fruits shaped like stars?"

"Yes, and I think the one we're going has jello."

"Jello?" Zoro awed, "I never had jello before."

"I'll buy you ice cream too."

Zoro squeezed his hand, "Can I have ice cream Jii-chan?"

"Of course. It's your birthday Zoro. Ask whatever you want to eat. Let's keep it a secret between you and me." Zoro grinned and hugged him.

"Thank you Jii-san." Hiroshi smiled, bent down, and picked Zoro off the ground. He held his nephew in his arms and walked on to one of the best family restaurants in town. His heart could take a bit of pressure.

-.-.-

Hiroshi ordered the children's lunch special with the mini flag on the hill of fried rice, a sandwich for himself, and ice cream and hot coffee were coming after they were finished. Zoro awed when the dish came and what he imagined was right before him. He carefully and slowly ate the meal, treasuring the moment. Hiroshi took a bite out of his sandwich as his nephew took the flag and twirled it with his finger.

"What time do you have to go home?"

"Mommy didn't tell me." Zoro answered quietly.

Hiroshi glanced at the large clear windows, "Before five?"

"I don't know," Zoro shrugged his little shoulders, "but Mommy likes it when I'm not at home."

Hiroshi folded his hands together and pressed them under his chin, "Forget about time, and leave your stomach open for ice cream. I'll take you home when you're finished."

"Okay." Zoro nodded quietly and spooned up fried rice. His nephew was sucking on a slice of orange when a waiter walked in with the ice cream and coffee. The young child enjoyed eating the dessert.

"Do you want more?"

"I'm full Jii-chan!" Zoro giggled as he stuffed another spoonful of ice cream in his mouth. Hiroshi felt relieved when he saw his nephew smile brightly. He brushed his hand through Zoro's short green hair and smiled with him. He hoped he could give as many birthdays like today to Zoro. He wanted to give Zoro freedom from the life he had and would be having for the rest of his life: miserable, inferior, and alone.

But one day, and he wished he would see the day when Zoro would make friends who he could really trust, a dream that Hiroshi couldn't achieve.

**The End**


End file.
